New barley official
Rob Davies is Alberta Barley’s new general manager.
His previous positions include 15 years as the chief executive officer at Weyburn Inland Terminal.
He has experience in crop inputs and grain handling industries, and also includes several terms of service with various agricultural industry boards and federal government working groups.
Funding to ensure health of shipped livestock
Alberta Farm Animal Care is receiving $268,000 in federal funding to ensure cattle are in good health and meet processing standards when they arrive at auctions and abattoirs.
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Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
The funding is expected to help improve management strategies for current and potential animal care related issues in the beef industry.
It will focus on cattle transport protocols, such as identifying risk factors that may affect animals during transport and communicating effectively with all stakeholders.
Alberta Barley elections
This year there are two regional director positions (regions 5 and 6), and one director-at-large position open for election for Alberta Barley.
Nominations for these positions must be received at the Alberta Barley office by 4:30 p.m., Oct. 30.
Elections are held during regional meetings for Alberta Barley each fall.
Any barley farmer is eligible to become a delegate or a director in 2015 if they paid a service charge in 2013, 2014 or 2015.
Alberta Barley is governed by a nine-person board of directors: six directors represent individual regions and three directors-at-large serve the province as a whole.
The board of directors elects the executive team, which is made up of the chair and the vice-chair.
More information is available from regional directors.
Hemp facility gets support
Manitoba’s hemp seed industry is receiving nearly $390,000 from the federal and provincial governments to invest in new equipment to support its growth.
Funding will go to Hemp Oil Canada Inc. to buy and install an optical sorter and packaging system at its new processing facility in Ste. Agathe.
The equipment will modernize the packing line, improve food safety and ensure the company can remain competitive. The facility is expected to create 10 jobs.
Government funding represents half the cost of the new equipment.
Environmental stewardship
Students in Lakeland College’s agricultural sciences programs who learn on the Student Managed Farm (SMF) are now using the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan (AEFP) online webbook to self-assess their farming practices.
The experience enables students to see what best management practices are in place on their farm and where they can make improvements to avoid potential environmental risks.
The SMF has five different units: crops, commercial beef, purebred beef, dairy and sheep units.
Vegetable preservation
The federal government is investing $2.5 million to prolong the shelf life of vegetables.
Bonduelle Research Inc. in Quebec will receive the funds to introduce new food preservation technology with the goal of making food safer to eat for a longer period of time after harvest.
The technology will use a freezing process that allows vegetables to retain their colour, texture and taste, while providing a protective coating against germs.
As a result of the breakthrough technology, more vegetables will be available to consumers year-round.
